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Doha, Qatar – At the close of tennis betting in the first round, the results mostly fell in line with the sports betting marketplace as the favourites advanced into the next round of the tournament. World No.1 Rafael Nadal was clinical in his dismissal of Fabrice Santoro, 6-0, 6-1, while No.2 Federer and No.4 Andy Murray were equally strong in breezing past Potito Starace and Albert Montanes respectively.

The tournament’s top three seeds came out guns blazing in the opening round, looking as good as they could at the start of the season. Now, the sports betting marketplace turns to the second round, offering a pretty penny on the favourites to follow up such a strong start with another consummate performance, while placing delectable underdog odds next to their challengers that stand to reward long shot punters should they mastermind an upset. So, where should the tennis bettor place his bet? Can the favourites follow up with another resounding performance or should credence be given to either one or more of the puppies?

Second Round Tennis Odds – Bottom half of the draw

Tennis Betting Line: Philipp Petzschner +1200 Andy Murray -5000

Match Time: 07:00 A.M Eastern Time, Wednesday January 07, 2009

Tennis Betting Analysis: Andy Murray falls into a favourable section of the draw; his opening round match against Albert Montanes was a stroll with a 6-2, 6-4 victory. Montanes, more-or-less a clay courter, did not present a viable threat. His second round opponent should be trickier. Philipp Petzschner of Germany has enough variety in his game to give Murray a good match. Ranked No.66 in the World, Petzschner enjoyed a breakout season last year when he won his maiden ATP title in Vienna as a qualifier and finished in the top 100 for the first time. En route to the title in Vienna, he earned big scalps when he ousted the top seed Stanislas Wawrinka in the opening round and continued with victories over Hernych, Moya, Lopez and Monfils.

Tennis Betting Verdict: Extolling Murray’s virtues would be a waste of time, as most sports bettors know full well he is a heavyweight in the tennis-betting marketplace; further evinced by his hefty price tag at -5000. The question is whether credence should be given to Petzschner’s game. Both players favour hard courts so surface edge is cancelled out – although, Murray is fast gaining a reputation of being one of the best hard-court players today. But if Petzschner takes it to him – as Gulbis took it to Djokovic yesterday in Brisbane – Murray could find himself in a similar spot of trouble. In the past, there have been occasions when Murray appeared to mope about on court, lazy and sluggish in his performance. If he does not step it up right off the bat, this could turn out to be an interesting match. Petzschner has more than enough firepower to make a match of it – but an inconsistent game and inexperience against a top player could be his undoing.

Tennis Free Picks: The betting trend will favour Murray, as he should win this match; but I cannot help feeling that it may not be as easy as most sports bettors would like it to be. Hence, a small wager on Petzschner (why not when his price tag at +1200 is rather tempting and he is no run-of-the mill player) could be the order for the day.